Underneath the Silhouette-Chapter 93: From Ballerina to Baffled

The next day, as soon as the break came, a furious, miniature whirlwind dragged Eirin out of the classroom and into the isolated garden. Before Eirin could even register what happened, Shade appeared, seemingly out of thin air. He slammed his tiny hands against the wall beside Eirin, effectively cornering her.

The teenage girl pursed her lips, biting back another giggle, trying desperately to suppress the laughter that threatened to bubble out as she looked down at the furious boy, whose head barely reached her waist.

"What did you spout to everyone!?" His voice was a furious whisper, seething with rage, but his adorable, childlike face, contorted in a comical scowl, somehow distracted Eirin completely. He looked more like an irate pixie than the feared Shade Cromwell.

"Hey! Are you listening, Luxfield?" he demanded, stomping his small foot.

Eirin shook her head, still trying to suppress her laughter. "What? What did I do?" she asked, feigning innocence, though her shoulders shook with mirth.

Shade let out a long, exasperated inhalation, his small chest puffing out. "Why is everyone trying to kiss me!?" Did you tell them about this stupid curse?" he practically shrieked, his voice rising in pitch, attracting the attention of several students passing by who immediately began whispering and pointing.

Eirin clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling another burst of laughter. The image of various girls, undoubtedly driven by a combination of curiosity and the allure of a "cursed child," attempting to ambush him with kisses, was simply too much.

"Stop laughing and answer me, Luxfield!" Shade demanded, his face a furious crimson. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

The teenage boy’s usual crude way of talking, his biting remarks and arrogant tone, didn’t sound awful or intimidating now. Instead, it sounded incredibly adorable in Eirin’s ears, especially coming from his tiny form.

Eirin kept getting distracted, her eyes brimming with unshed laughter, which only infuriated Shade further, causing him to stomp his small feet on the ground with increasing frustration, like a child denied a toy.

"You didn’t tell me we should keep it—Pfft—a secret!" Eirin managed to get out, barely controlling her laughter, her voice wavering with mirth.

Shade’s face, already fuming with anger, turned an even deeper shade of furious red. "Stop laughing, will you?!" This isn’t funny. This is humiliating! Girls kept running at me, chasing me down the halls like I was a toy, and I can’t even throw my fireballs at them because this damn body can’t handle my mana! It’s all your fault, Luxfield!" He was practically vibrating with rage, a miniature volcano on the verge of eruption.

Eirin finally lost all control. She let out a full, uninhibited peal of laughter, bending over and even kneeling to the ground, tears welling in her eyes. In that moment, she realized, with a shocking clarity, that she was acting exactly like Mr. Blade, finding immense amusement in Shade’s predicament. And she never knew it would be so incredibly fun to tease the child-sized Shade Cromwell.

"How is any of this my problem again, little man?" Eirin teased, her voice choked with giggles, knowing full well she was pushing him over the edge.

The teenage boy stared at her, his tiny jaw slack with disbelief. He simply could not believe what he had just heard.

Just when Shade was about to launch himself at Eirin’s arm, a blur of motion appeared. "Ei, Miss Welkins says you should go to the director’s office immediately—oh, the midget’s also here," Coleen chirped, her voice innocent but her eyes sparkling with malicious amusement as she eyed Shade.

Coleen’s comment sent Eirin into another fit of even louder laughter, pushing Shade’s fury to the absolute breaking point. His small body seemed to tremble, on the verge of exploding in sheer rage.

Coleen, sticking her tongue out playfully at the seething teenage boy, quickly pulled Eirin away from the scene of their joyful torment. She held onto Eirin’s arm, and Eirin noticed her friend’s hand was trembling.

"Are you alright, Coco?" Eirin asked, her laughter subsiding as she looked at Coleen in confusion.

Coleen gulped audibly, her winter-gray eyes darting around. "I’m just... nervous," she stammered, her voice thin.

"Why?" Eirin pressed gently, concern replacing her amusement.

Coleen’s eyes quivered as she looked at her friend, a strange mix of anxiety and affection in their depths. "Y-You know, I’m just nervous for you, hehe," she stammered, her voice strained, and she quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing a faint pink.

Eirin didn’t push further, sensing Coleen’s discomfort, as she left her friend standing outside the director’s office. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever awaited her, and pushed open the heavy oak door. As soon as she stepped inside, however, she didn’t even make it two steps before she bumped into a man, sending a sheaf of paper scattering to the floor.

The young man’s striking baby blue eyes landed on Eirin’s face, widening in an instant. He quickly recovered, his long, slick fingernail pointing dramatically at Eirin.

"Oh! Prima Ballerina! Eirin Luxfield!" His voice was loud, a booming, theatrical declaration that filled the quiet entrance to Regina’s private office, leaving Eirin completely baffled and slightly embarrassed. "I saw one of your recitals! You were magnificent!" the unknown man exclaimed, his enthusiasm almost overwhelming.

Eirin’s forehead creased in confusion, her gaze taking in his appearance. She noted the vibrant almost unnatural blue color of his hair, styled in an audacious messy fashion, and the humongous, exuberant grin that seemed almost too wide for his pale white skin. He radiated an intense, almost manic energy.

"May I hold your hand?" the unknown young man asked, his voice dripping with eagerness.

Without waiting for Eirin’s reply, he lunged forward, capturing both of her hands in his, his grip surprisingly firm. "I’m a big fan of yours, truly!" he declared, his excitement reminding Eirin, with a nostalgic pang, of how it used to be back at home. She had indeed been a well-known student of the Ballet Academy, even becoming a child model for a well-known magazine, her face plastered on advertisements.

The young man tilted his head, his brilliant blue hair swaying with the motion. "I always wondered why you suddenly vanished from the public eye, but who knew you would be here! In Senerra Academy! Oh, god! You don’t know how much of a fan I am! You’re incredible!" His words poured out in a breathless torrent.

Eirin blinked a thousand times, overwhelmed by the sheer, unbridled enthusiasm the young man was showing. "Are you performing here too? Dang it! I want to watch your recitals again!"

The teenage girl, astonished and slightly uncomfortable with the intensity of his adoration, gently but firmly pulled her hands back from his grasp. "I’m... not doing ballet anymore," she said, forcing a small, awkward smile, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.

"What!?" The young man shrieked, a high-pitched cry of dismay that echoed through the room. Just then, the door behind Eirin, which led to the hallway, opened.

"And here I was wondering why there was such a commotion inside the outer office. Trix’s here," Pierre said, a weary but fond smile gracing his lips as he appeared, looking tired but composed. He gently but firmly pulled the wildly gesturing young man, whose name was apparently Trix, away from Eirin.

Calixta then showed up, stepping in gracefully behind Pierre holding some papers. Her usual serene expression slightly amused. Excitement bloomed anew on Trix’s face, his eyes lighting up even further.

"Hello, beautiful people of Senerra Academy!" Trix rushed towards Calixta and Pierre, literally wrapping an arm around each of them, pulling them into a tight, exuberant hug, Pierre groaning faintly under his biceps.

"Could you guys lend me some money? I’m completely broke!" He received an immediate, sharp whack on the head from Calixta, who shot him a stern look, while Pierre merely sighed, his gaze finally landing on Eirin.

"Hi, Eirin. Are you feeling better now? I noticed you didn’t attend training yesterday," Pierre asked, his voice genuinely worried, recalling the teenage girl’s unexplained absence.

Trix’s mouth went wide open in shock, his earlier theatrics forgotten. "No way! That Eirin Luxfield? The Eirin Luxfield? Is she actually a student of Senerra Academy now? My mind is blown!"

"How do you know her, Trix?" Pierre asked, his eyebrow arched, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Trix chuckled, a mischievous glint in his baby blue eyes. "You might not know this because you haven’t stayed in the Infirmus like me, but Eirin Luxfield is a really big shot there. You’ll even see her face on billboards, still!" He gestured grandly.

Eirin’s face turned a brilliant tomato red, the color creeping up her neck and ears. She was mortified, embarrassed as she remembered the endless, awkward commercials and advertisements she had been forced to endure, plastered across the Infirmus’s public spaces, all just to raise funds for the various charities her specialized school was helping.

"She’s a well-known ballerina, famous even, and she’s exceptionally pretty. Just look at her? Isn’t she lovely?" Trix prattled on, completely oblivious to Eirin’s discomfort, his admiration overflowing.

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